Avenue Q: The Foul Mouthed Puppets That Toppled Wicked

 At the time of this post, the Wicked movie is now less than a month away, and trust me, there is going to be a ton of gravity-defying content on this blog, from the music to the movie, and more surprises to come when the one short day in the emerald city arrives. But as I was scrolling on YouTube late at night, I watched a video documentary on how Wicked won some Tony Awards but lost some including Best Musical in 2004 to Avenue Q. It inspired me to talk about this puppet musical that poses the question "What if Sesame Street was rated R?" and covered topics of adult life. I have not seen a production of this show yet but I have listened to the album many times, there is some stuff that is classified as dated in this musical, and there are some jokes that have aged better than others, but there is plenty here that still works today. So I wanted to talk about the show in general before I get into the movie based on the mega-musical on the horizon and so many aspects both of the stage show and the film, I thought I would explore the show through smart marketing, pulled off the win and saved itself from closing. Also absolutely go watch the video, it is so well-made and informative. 

This show hits you from the beginning, the opening shows you everything you are about to get, jokes left and right that are not suitable for younger ears, even though puppets take the stage they are not here to teach you anything, they are here to cuss, talk about bills, love, life, and so much more. From songs about laughing at the misfortune of others, to not wearing underwear today, this show is wild. But then the show surprises you with moments and songs like "Purpose", "There's A Fine Fine Line" and "For Now" where the jokes either mostly or entirely subside and the show embraces its still very real themes. Felt puppets may be singing about unrequited love, finding one's place in the world, or accepting things as they are for now, but the topics in these cases are very real, reaching the listener and giving them something to walk away with. The moments the comedy which sometimes is absolutely hilarious aside and talking about very real things the listener could be feeling or has felt in their life.

The comedy pulls no punches and no topic is sacred, from race to sexuality, Avenue Q, aside from being extremely crass has the philosophy of "If it can be made fun of, make fun of it". But the jokes and themes can only carry so far, what about the music carrying them?

The songs have memorable lyrics whether in seriousness or jest, and infectious melodies. Whether a solo or a group number, these songs are catchy with a wide scope of instrumentation, and as someone who has only watched a couple clips but has spent most of their time with this show in the confines of the cast album, these songs are great. I may not stick with all of them, but the ones that stick really do stick. Whether landing a joke or having a moment to reflect on, the lyrics are mostly genius. Yes some of them contain super dated jokes, but some of the shorter songs entailing having a fake girlfriend, or once again simply not wearing underpants are still super funny. Some of the more edgy songs also have solid jokes, great wordplay, and pitch-perfect timing. Before the South Park team brought their troupe of singing Mormons to the stage with that South Park wit and style, this was the original low-brow musical. 

I love many of the songs and will someday have to dive deeper into them, but one I will explore in the future I want to touch on briefly is "For Now", as the show closes we are not given a big, bombastic, comedy driven piece but rather something more. We end on the note of accepting things we can not avoid, both good and bad, a very real moral that holds weight in varying stages of life, one about enjoying things big and small even if you don't hold all the answers. This song is so powerful and ends the show on such a quiet but strong note that I still think about this song regularly, and can never just listen to it once, it sits with me as the final notes are played, and if seen, the lights go out. In a quiet moment, the lead accepts his life and goes home, all the craziness that began with ACT One vanishes as each character one by one shuffle off stage to leave Princeton to sing the final notes. Truly showing how even the show, or in my case, the album was only for now, until my next trip to Avenue Q on a car ride or while relaxing. A show that holds so much more than what is shown at face value, enough that it was able to stand against, and coexist with the biggest musical in the world at the time. 

Source/Instrumentation: How Wicked Lost The 2004 Tony Awards, Wait In The Wings Youtube Channel, Youtube Video

Will The Warriors Become A Broadway Musical?

 This past weekend saw the launch of Lin Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis's new concept album based on the 1979 movie of the same name, "The Warriors". About a gang, this time all female, making their way back home with a target on their backs when they are wrongfully blamed for killing another gang leader. I have been listening to the album, and it is going to take a while for me to process my thoughts and give a full review, but someday I will, it just might not be anytime soon. Aside from perhaps building to that by looking at a couple individual songs later on down the road, I thought I would explore a fascinating aspect of the musical. The nature of its release. It is a concept album, as the whole story is right there in the album, with no word of a coming stage adaptation. 

The reviews are a tad mixed on this one, and my early feelings are the same, as mentioned earlier it will take some time before I give a full review, but it is nice to compare my feelings with others as I go on this journey. I am still wondering if this will see the stage, and thus is the question and central theme of today's post.

There are a couple options, it could stay just as a concept album, it could come to the stage, or it could come to the stage and have new songs, changes to the story, and cut songs, all with potentially different performers and more with a release of an official cast album. There are many paths on this road, and it's hard to say where the story of this album begins and ends, it could stay as is or go beyond that. Hamilton was originally going to be a concept album as well before it came to the stage and became what we know it today, but that does not mean this will follow in Hamilton's footsteps. 

From an outsider's perspective who only sees flashes through pop culture, the news, and social media, it seems Lin Manuel Miranda has changed and moved on at least for now. He has directed a film, worked on multiple movies, and there are upcoming movies that he has had a hand in. He was in Ducktales and made several appearances on TV, wrote a poetry book, and more. There is a chance he could return to the stage someday, but that might be later down the road. I would love for him to direct more musical movies because, with Tick Tick Boom, he proved that he can use his knowledge of music to make a great musical movie.

He has worked on and will probably work on more Disney musical films, maybe even collaborate with them on a stage version. Who knows? I know I sure don't.

So at the end of the day, we have no idea of where this album will go if it is to the stage or just as is. But what we can judge and see is the artists we follow trying something new, changing, and going different ways. Even if they do or don't return to where they got their name, they carry that style, and why we followed their work into their new projects. Some will be hits, some will be flops but that is art and the nature of creating. Until then all we can do, is watch, listen, and grow ourselves. 

The New Wicked Poster, The Run Time, And The New Trailer

 

There is a ton to unpack, I have been slacking when it comes to covering this upcoming musical event. The movie is one of the biggest musicals of all time, I am so far behind that this is the latest poster, and the last time I covered this topic, there was one poster and there are now more than ten. There have also been some clips, trailers, and information given. So even though I have not been covering this in the most detail, I wanted to talk about a couple of the most recent pieces of news that dropped as we are now about a month off from the film release. 

The first thing I wanted to address is at the top of this post. It is a recreation of the classic Wicked poster as many musical fans can see. I am okay with this, but it does feel like the marketing team is trying so hard to make this movie as big as possible by harkening back and showing they know where this product orginated, most of the recent YouTube videos label it as "The musical event". The problem is that it is trying to recreate and be new at the same time and by doing that, it falls short as both. And speaking of making something as big as possible...

Interviews and press releases have now revealed that the run time of this movie will be two hours and forty minutes, which is just five minutes short of BOTH acts of the stage version with an intermission included. This movie is part one of two and that run time is concerning, to say the least. Wondering if there would be new songs which is less of a possibility because the album that is dropping the same day the film premieres does not show any new songs. There is a chance the new songs are hidden and will appear online or on a CD later, and are just not included to have them be special for the movie, or an expanded album could be dropped later. This is a small chance we could only see the song list of songs we are familiar with and we could get some surprises, or it could be a faithful adaptation, which the latter is what I am leaning towards. 

Finally, there was a new trailer, one that focused on showing songs, namely "Popular", "Dancing Through Life", "What Is This Feeling" and of course "Defying Gravity". The choreography and visuals looked amazing, the director of this film did the film version of "In The Heights" and the musical performances along with the visuals were the strongest part of that film. What was shown looked good and will probably be performed well both in a musical sense and visually, the shots looked dynamic and grand, fitting for such a huge musical. 

I am excited and concerned, excited by what I have seen, and even seeing the post replicated shows a deep respect for the source material. My concern is the run time and if things are going to be padded out, overexplained or just extended, only because it as almost as long as BOTH acts of the orginal. This is a part one, and that makes me wonder how long part two will be, and what may be added and expanded there. This looks like the musical segements are going to be great, and with that run time, unlike "In The Heights", it does not seem many if any songs will be excluded. The visuals look breath taking whetehr in moments of music or in pure display, and the singing so far, sounds good. 

There is alot to hope for in this movie, there are just a couple things that coneern me, that I hope wash away by the time the final note is struck and credits roll. I really hope my doubts are proven wrong and this is a truly great movie, I am hoping.  

No One Mourns The Wicked: A Powerful Start To A Powerful Tale

As the film draws closer, as more trailers and teasers drop, I want to continue to explore the mega-musical smash, that has lasted through decades from which this film owes everything to its existence. What can be said about Wicked that hasn't been said, the songs performed, covered, and played still all these years later, the show still plays and tours and is beloved by many. For many this show opened the door to the wonderful world of musicals for them, for me, I have never seen it live, yet. I plan to and hope to see it live someday, it is a musical bucket list item for me. All I have is the album and the movie, so I wanted to dive into some of my favorite songs from Wicked here and there as we prepare for the movie we are all waiting to see if it can defy gravity or if it will crash and burn. 

The show begins at the end before the tale unfolds, the threat is slain and the heroes rejoice, all while using the fallen villain as an example showing the path of evil leads to a lonely, unloved, unfulfilled life. But even as the ensemble sings how the wicked walk a lonely path, seeds are planted, and a sad origin is shown, Glinda already showing us small snippets that this story has more underneath than what people see, showing how there are already twists and turns in this tale from the moment the curtain rises. 

Everything the audience knows about "The Wizzard of Oz" is thrown out the window by the end of this song, which starts in the realm of familiarity is then thrown out the window to show this is not a mere adaptation, but rather so much more. It is not just the text from the page or reenacting the film, it is a show that raises the question before the first song wraps up "Was the villain truly all that bad?" by showing the sad circumstances of the moment she came into this world, and continues to explore that very question through the entire show, to leave the audience to answer the question themselves. 

The score and lyrics are strong, and the use of solos, mixed with the ensemble are woven together to form a song that will send chills down your spine. A mass choir stating what they see and know, celebrating the loss of the vile villain before them, as Glinda musically sets the stage for the true story to unfold. The moments in the album even of spoken dialogue do not break the pace but rather feel like you are listening to the whole scene as it was presented live. 

The sweeping chorus of voices interwoven and building up, taking time for solos, and Glinda interjecting with her pieces fit together and the way they combine with the amazing score leaves the song in the listener's mind long after it finishes. This song is a great opening, it grips the listener with a powerful start as the story begins, and I assume the show is the same. This song starts the show with a question, it begins showing its theme and building its morale from the very start, and it is all wrapped in a fantastic song. A sweeping score, and strong and powerful lyrics, all sung in a way that welcomes you into a world that is familiar yet so different in so many ways. This song is great, no one may mourn the wicked, and this song shows this show has so much more, then what you see even from the moment it starts. 

My Shot: The Hamilton Mixtape Version

 Perhaps it's because we are only a couple weeks away from the release of his next album, or the upcoming movie "Mufasa" in which he made the music, yet surprisingly he did not return for the upcoming "Moana 2", but I have been thinking about Lin Manuel Miranda's work lately. As we prepare for his new concept album that has rumblings of potentially making its way to the stage, I decided to listen to remixes, covers, and of course the original songs from Hamilton, his last show to tread the stage. One place I have been spending my time listening to songs whether when working or relaxing is the Hamilton Mixtape and the Hamildrops, both I have covered in great detail and love just as much as the Broadway show they came from, which I love to the moon and back. Today I decided to look at the first song that greets the listener after the intro, "My Shot".

Lifting only the chorus, everything else around it is set to fit the modern day, modern problems of glass ceilings, ambivalence, giving up, and finding motivation in all ways. Performed by The Roots, Busta Rhymes, Joell Ortiz, and Nate Ruess, this collaboration is a thrill from start to finish. Ever since this mixtape dropped this was one of the songs I have listened to most, not unlike "My Shot" in the original Broadway cast of Hamilton. The song's kinetic energy, causing motivation while speaking on not giving up carries from the original to this remix, full of powerful lyrics, an amazing background track, and using only pieces of the song to make something new. 

The song taking pieces from the original and changing it into a song about expectations, and chasing your dreams in the face of them is just as inspiring as the song this remake came from. The lyrics and melody work together to create a high energy, hyping up the listener and preparing them to face whatever is in front of them. This song is a great workout song, and it really pushes the listener to push beyond their limits. 

The song's message is the same as the one before it about not being limited to your environment, but this is not a simple copy-and-paste job. The song uses references that the audience can relate to such as a Spider-Man lunchbox and deeper issues like glass ceilings, having to hustle to make it, or being labeled simply for being who you are even at a young age. The song shows the wrongs but how to face them, whether having what you need or having to think outside the box, that the essence of not throwing away your shot is in your mindset, using what you have to chase your goals. 

This song is such a good listen, inspiring but also just super entertaining. One night I was over at a friend's house and he was playing some NBA game on his XBOX and this song was even in that. The song is super well made and is just an all-around great listen, whether to hype you up or something good to keep your mind moving as you run your day-to-day errands. Whether to inspire or just for some fun, this remix is one shot, you will not want to throw away.

Broadway Remixes And Covers: First Burn

 Going from Lin Manuel Miranda's first major work to the one that put him on the map, I wanted to talk about one of my favorite Hamilton remixes from the Hamildrops collection. "First Burn" is a take on the song "Burn" performed by other actresses who also stepped into Eliza's shoes and had to sing about her grief. The song is about heartbreak, betrayal, and writing oneself from the narrative is remixed beautifully by four others and turned into a song that is simply unforgettable.

Pieces of the original song are stitched throughout this interwoven with new lyrics and powerful ones at that. "Heaven forbid someone whispers 'He's part of some scheme", Your enemy whispers so you have to scream. I know about whispers, I see how you look at my sister". Lyrics such as that pack an emotional punch that carries the same weight as the contemporary it came from that started on the stage. This remix has so much emotion in it, being great in the context of when it was released as well as on its own. 

This song stands out as its own song and can be listened to by fans of Hamilton and those who only know of the show through pop culture. This song is a great listen, the instrumentation matches the lyrics in a perfect harmony that makes me want to listen to it again and again.

This song packs so much power into it, the slow and somber nature of it shows someone who is truly heartbroken. The four voices harmonize perfectly and balance so well to make every part of this song linger with the listener even after it has wrapped up. The emotion captured never leaving and growing until the song ends in a frustrated cry for someone not to apologize, but to grow, learn, and change. Begging someone to see what is right in front of them, return home, and be with those who love them, for they matter most. Cutting off any counterargument with countless "Don'ts" in the song, leaving no room for excuses, not dwelling in pity or wanting an apology but rather for the offending party to listen. Using some of the original lyrics mixed in for that extra layer of empowerment and relatability. 

Capturing Eliza's heartbreak and rage in a new way, still staying true to where it came from while becoming a new song entirely. I hope more musical-based songs do this, I would love to see new songs, that are inspired, use lyrics and themes, or do both like this. I would love to see songs inspired by the amazing pieces of music from SIX, Come From Away, Waitress, and so many others. Songs that capture the characters feelings and expand them to connect just as much with the listener or even more than the song that came before it on the stage. There are so many outlets to inspire, move, and relate that I do not want it to stop at the Hamildrops from almost ten years back now. Hamilton is still the only show I know of that has released a mixtape and many remixes monthly as a sequel. Meanwhile, plenty of shows come out, and many of them make a solid mark that they are being listened to, covered, and seen by thousands.

Some shows like SIX and Waitress release a second album with cut songs or different performers but I feel like something amazing can come from collaborating with other artists to make new pieces of media to connect with the audience. But until then, I have amazing songs such as this. 

When Your'e Home: The In The Heights Movie

 The year was 2021, and movies were still getting back on their feet. Some companies decided to skip the wait for theaters and just drop them on streaming services, some decided to charge prices for a limited time for this, and others just released movies on both platforms and for no fee. One such film in this dual-release format was the long awaited musical movie adaptation of "In The Heights" having only one trailer before everything shut down in early 2020. This movie was not controversy-free, a film claiming to represent all aspects of Hispanic culture, but leaving out several ethnicities and Afro-Latinos from the cast. The movie might have performed well on streaming but when it came to the big screens it bombed financially, receiving mixed to positive reviews. 

When this film first dropped on HBO MAX back when it was called that and not just MAX, I loved it. I watched it about four or five times, and it was only available for about a month until it was added much later for a longer stretch. The story had some changes and kept some things the same, so I was left seeing this not so much as a full-on adaptation, but rather keeping some of the music, and doing its own thing. As time passed and a rewatch or two after some time away, I found myself liking some parts of the movie, loving some parts, and being confused by others. Some aspects I found way better from the stage version, and other decisions where I felt like something was attempted to be fixed that was not broken to begin with. 

For example, songs are removed which makes sense to help the movie fit a run time, but even with that this movie runs at over two hours, and some storylines are cut down or removed, but this involves things not making sense or characters being killed off for no reason. Some of the story changes work incredibly well, and some of them are being kept work but some don't. They change the song order as well, sometimes working and sometimes not. For example, the lottery ticket plot from the original flows naturally and becomes an interesting plot point, but isn't even addressed, changing the order and meaning of my favorite song "Paciencia y Fe" into this look back at Abuela's death right before she dies, but then why have the lottery ticket in the movie at all? Killing off Nina's mother leads nowhere, and then there's Benny.

Much like the stage show, so much is going on, there are so many plots, and some of them are never resolved, mainly Benny's, you never know his outcome, and he is a character you spend over half the movie with. The plot can be heartwarming, and touching, as well as have real moments, but then also be baffling at the same time. They add Sonny's father for one scene and all it does is pad out the run time, some of the emotions hit a strong chord, but then some don't like Usnavi's fight with Vanessa during the blackout. For every good change or good performance, there is one in the writing and plot that leaves me beyond confused. Some lyric changes also baffled me and did not fit as they reference songs the characters did not sing, or songs that were cut. 

The instrumentation is also a mixed bag, sometimes it fits perfectly and other times it is way too soft, and tries to be different. But what do I like about this?

The performances and acting are phenomenal, and most of the music is incredible. The songs are well shot, well performed, and have amazing choreography. The way they are filmed, using a solo, duet, or ensemble is incredible, most of the songs hit it right out of the park. Even with my qualms with this version of "Paciencia y Fe" in terms of the changes made and where it is placed into the plot, I love the way it looks, it is shot wonderfully and is gorgeous, made into a visually striking scene. And that goes for so many of the songs, the actors knock them all out of the park, "In The Heights", "Benny's Dispatch", "Breath", "It Won't Be Long Now", "96,000", "When You're Home", "The Club", "Blackout" and "Finale" all stand out. There are a couple numbers I am simply okay with but most of them, are unforgettable. 

The visuals are so impressive. They are gorgeous, this is a very well shot movie, and even with the moments I may disagree with, this movie looks so good. Every song and dance looks great, the emotion driven home, and the movie just pops in terms of set, setting, and the visuals. The movie looks great, and sounds great. I often find myself watching this film once a year for the high moments over the lows, and the musical numbers are a high point. The movie drives home emotions well in some ways, and works, just too much is going on for everything to stick a landing, and some things do not even get a landing to stick. I enjoy the comedy, the day to life and down to earth nature of the plot and storyline of the movie. I enjoy how the movie is very emotionally driven and is just about people working, going to school, living life and how they feel. Whether in relationships, with friendships, or on their own, even through their own found family and community. 

The musical numbers are so impressive that I love seeing them, sometimes even rewinding to watch them over from the top. This musical also came at the right time, things were uncertain and life was far from going out with friends or even going to the movies. Get a well shot, great looking, and great sounding musical movie day one as the movie heathers, was much needed. It is a visually stunning movie that makes every song stand out, both through the music itself and the great visuals that accompany it. Whether changing to setting to the surreal to convey the emotion on a different scale, or doing a giant dance number in a public pool, each one hits, and can be a great listen on their own as an album. 

The acting is incredible as well, emotion-packed, whether comedic or serious, the acting is amazing. I just wish the material was better, there are more than seven plot lines going on in this movie, two romances, lots of dreams, and multiple emotional conflicts, to the point where as mentioned earlier they are not all resolved. But there is still plenty of good in the movie, great acting, great music, and it is visually a marvel in scenes both big and small, well acted too. The editing is also fantastic, the visuals re amazing, in shots both long and short of all kinds. 

I would say watch the movie at least once and perhaps listen to the soundtrack alongside the Broadway version. Funny enough the Broadway version also has too many plot points, but much like that the music is incredible, and it is fun to see where Lin Manuel Miranda started. This movie has enough good music, some good acting, a couple of the plots are well done, and is charming enough for a watch, at least one, I think I can find myself watching this every once in a while, sometimes all the way through, and sometimes just for the musical performances.